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History of The Motorcycle - Wikipedia
History of The Motorcycle - Wikipedia
motorcycle
The history of the motorcycle begins in t he second half of t he 19t h cent ury. Mot orcycles are
descended from t he "safet y bicycle," a bicycle wit h front and rear wheels of t he same size and a
pedal crank mechanism t o drive t he rear wheel.[1] Despit e some early landmarks in it s
development , t he mot orcycle lacks a rigid pedigree t hat can be t raced back t o a single idea or
machine. Inst ead, t he idea seems t o have occurred t o numerous engineers and invent ors around
Europe at around t he same t ime.
Early steam-powered cycles
In t he 1860s Pierre Michaux, a blacksmit h in Paris, founded 'Michaux et Cie' ("Michaux and
company"), t he first company t o const ruct bicycles wit h pedals called a velocipede at t he t ime,
or "Michauline".[2] The first st eam powered mot orcycle, t he Michaux-Perreaux st eam velocipede,
can be t raced t o 1867, when Pierre's son Ernest Michaux fit t ed a small st eam engine t o one of
t he 'velocipedes'.[3]
The design went t o t he Unit ed St at es when Pierre Lallement , a Michaux employee who also
claimed t o have developed t he prot ot ype in 1863, filed for t he first bicycle pat ent wit h t he US
pat ent office in 1866.[4] In 1868 an American, Sylvest er H. Roper of Roxbury, Massachuset t s,
developed a t win-cylinder st eam velocipede, wit h a coal-fired boiler bet ween t he wheels.
Roper's cont ribut ion t o mot orcycle development ended suddenly when he died demonst rat ing
one of his machines in Cambridge, Massachuset t s on June 1, 1896.[3]
Also in 1868, a French engineer Louis-Guillaume Perreaux pat ent ed a similar st eam powered
single cylinder machine, t he Michaux-Perreaux st eam velocipede, wit h an alcohol burner and t win
belt drives, which was possibly invent ed independent ly of Roper's. Alt hough t he pat ent is dat ed
1868, not hing indicat es t he invent ion had been operable before 1871.[3]
In 1881, Lucius Copeland of Phoenix, Arizona designed a much smaller st eam boiler which could
drive t he large rear wheel of an American St ar high-wheeler at 12 mph. In 1887 Copeland formed
t he Nort hrop Manufact uring Co. t o produce t he first successful 'Mot o-Cycle' (act ually a t hree-
wheeler).[3]
Experimentation and
invention
The very first commercial design for a self-propelled bicycle was a t hree-wheel design called
t he Butler Petrol Cycle, conceived of and built by Edward But ler in England in 1884.[5] He exhibit ed
his plans for t he vehicle at t he St anley Cycle Show in London in 1884, t wo years earlier t han Karl
Benz invent ed his first aut omobile who is generally recognized as t he invent or of t he modern
aut omobile. But ler's vehicle was also t he first design t o be shown at t he 1885 Int ernat ional
Invent ions Exhibit ion in London.
The vehicle was built by t he Merryweat her Fire Engine company in Greenwich, in 1888.[6] t he
But ler Petrol Cycle (first recorded use of t he t erm)[6] It was a t hree-wheeled vehicle, wit h t he
rear wheel direct ly driven by a 5/8hp (466W) 600 cc (40 in3; 2¼×5-inch {57×127-mm})[6] flat t win
four st roke engine (wit h magnet o ignit ion replaced by coil and bat t ery),[6] equipped wit h rot ary
valves and a float -fed carburet t or (five years before Maybach),[6] and Ackermann st eering,[7] all
of which were st at e of t he art at t he t ime. St art ing was by compressed air.[6] The engine was
liquid-cooled, wit h a radiat or over t he rear driving wheel. Speed was cont rolled by means of a
t hrot t le valve lever. No braking syst em was fit t ed; t he vehicle was st opped by raising and
lowering t he rear driving wheel using a foot -operat ed lever; t he weight of t he machine was t hen
borne by t wo small cast or wheels. The driver was seat ed bet ween t he front wheels.[6] It wasn't ,
however, a commercial success, as But ler failed t o find sufficient financial backing.
Replica of the 1885 Daimler-Maybach
Reitwagen
Anot her early int ernal combust ion, pet roleum fueled mot orcycle was t he Pet roleum Reit wagen.
It was designed and built by t he German invent ors Got t lieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in Bad
Cannst at t , Germany in 1885.[8] This vehicle was unlike eit her t he safet y bicycles or t he
boneshaker bicycles of t he era in t hat it had zero degrees of st eering axis angle and no fork
offset , and t hus did not use t he principles of bicycle and mot orcycle dynamics developed nearly
70 years earlier. Inst ead, it relied on t wo out rigger wheels t o remain upright while t urning.[9] The
invent ors called t heir invent ion t he Reitwagen ("riding car"). It was designed as an expedient
t est bed for t heir new engine, rat her t han a t rue prot ot ype vehicle.[10][11]
In 1898, Peugeot Mot ocycles present s at t he Paris Mot orshow t he first mot orcycle equipped
wit h a Dion-Bout on mot or. Peugeot Mot ocycles remains t he oldest mot orcycle manufact urer in
t he world.
In t he early period of mot orcycle hist ory, many producers of bicycles adapt ed t heir designs t o
accommodat e t he new int ernal-combust ion engine. As t he engines became more powerful and
designs out grew t he bicycle origins, t he number of mot orcycle producers increased. Many of t he
ninet eent h-cent ury invent ors who worked on early mot orcycles oft en moved on t o ot her
invent ions. Daimler and Roper, for example, bot h went on t o develop aut omobiles.
At t he t urn of t he 20t h cent ury t he first major mass-product ion firms emerged.
In 1901 English quadricycle- and bicycle-maker Royal Enfield int roduced it s first mot orcycle, wit h
a 239 cc engine mount ed in t he front and driving t he rear wheel t hrough a belt . In 1898 English
bicycle-maker Triumph decided t o ext end it s focus t o include mot orcycles, and by 1902 t he
company had produced it s first mot orcycle—a bicycle fit t ed wit h a Belgian-built engine. A year
lat er it was t he largest mot orcycle-manufact urer, wit h an annual product ion of over 500 unit s.
Ot her Brit ish firms included Nort on and Birmingham Small Arms Company who began mot orbike
product ion in 1902 and 1910, respect ively.[17]
In 1901 t he Indian Mot ocycle Manufact uring Company, which had been founded by t wo former
bicycle-racers, designed t he so-called "diamond framed" Indian Single, whose engine was built by
t he Aurora Firm in Illinois per Indian's specificat ions. The Single was made available in t he deep
blue. Indian's product ion was up t o over 500 bikes by 1902, and would rise t o 32,000, it s best
ever, in 1913.[18][19] Indian produced over 20,000 bikes per year.[20] The oldest surviving Russian-
manufact ured mot orcycle, t he Rossiya, dat es from 1902.[21] The American company Harley-
Davidson st art ed producing mot orcycles in 1903.
During t his period, experiment at ion and innovat ion were driven by t he popular new sport of
mot orcycle racing, wit h it s powerful incent ive t o produce t ough, fast , reliable machines. These
enhancement s quickly found t heir way t o t he public's machines.[12]
Chief August Vollmer of t he Berkeley, California Police Depart ment is credit ed wit h organizing
t he first official police mot orcycle-pat rol in t he Unit ed St at es in 1911.[22] By 1914, mot orcycles
were no longer just bicycles wit h engines; t hey had t heir own t echnologies, alt hough many st ill
maint ained bicycle element s, like t he seat s and suspension.
During t he First World War, mot orbike product ion was great ly ramped up for t he war effort t o
supply effect ive communicat ions wit h front line t roops. Messengers on horses were replaced
wit h dispat ch riders on mot orcycles carrying messages, performing reconnaissance personnel
and act ing as a milit ary police. American company Harley-Davidson was devot ing over 50% of it s
fact ory out put t oward milit ary cont ract by t he end of t he war. The Brit ish company Triumph
Mot orcycles sold more t han 30,000 of it s Triumph Type H model t o allied forces during t he war.
Wit h t he rear wheel driven by a belt , t he Model H was fit t ed wit h a 499 cc air-cooled four-st roke
single-cylinder engine. It was also t he first Triumph not t o be fit t ed wit h pedals, so was a t rue
mot orcycle.[23]
The Model H in part icular, is regarded by many as having been t he first "modern mot orcycle".[24]
Int roduced in 1915 it had a 550cc side-valve four-st roke engine wit h a t hree-speed gearbox and
belt t ransmission. It was so popular wit h it s users t hat it was nicknamed t he "Trust y Triumph."[25]
Postwar
Postwar
By 1920, Harley-Davidson became t he largest manufact urer,[26] wit h t heir mot orcycles being sold
by dealers in 67 count ries.[27][28]
Amongst many Brit ish mot orcycle manufact urers Chat er-Lea wit h it s t win-cylinder models
followed by it s large singles in t he 1920s st ood out . Init ially, using convert ed a Woodmann-
designed OHV Blackburne engine it became t he first 350 cc t o exceed 100 mph (160 km/h),
recording 100.81 mph (162.24 km/h) over t he flying kilomet re during April 1924.[7] Lat er, Chat er-
Lea set a world record for t he flying kilomet re for 350 cc and 500 cc mot orcycles at 102.9 mph
(165.6 km/h) for t he firm. Chat er-Lea produced variant s of t hese world beat ing sport s models
and became popular among racers at t he Isle of Man TT. Today, t he firm is probably best
remembered for it s long-t erm cont ract t o manufact ure and supply AA Pat rol mot orcycles and
sidecars.
By 1931, Indian and Harley-Davidson were t he only t wo American manufact urers producing
commercial mot orcycles.[32] This t wo-company rivalry in t he Unit ed St at es remained unt il 1953,
when t he Indian Mot orcycle fact ory in Springfield, Massachuset t s closed and Royal Enfield t ook
over t he Indian name.[33]
There were over 80 different makes of mot orcycle available in Brit ain in t he 1930s, from t he
familiar marques like Nort on, Triumph and AJS t o t he obscure, wit h names like New Gerrard, NUT,
SOS, Chell and Whit wood,[34] about t wice as many mot orcycle makes compet ing in t he world
market during t he early 21st cent ury.
In 1937, Joe Pet rali set a new land speed record of 136.183 mph (219.165 km/h) on a modified
Harley-Davidson 61 cubic inch (1,000 cc) overhead valve-driven mot orcycle.[32] The same day,
Pet rali also broke t he speed record for 45 cubic inch (737 cc) engine mot orcycles.
In Europe, product ion demands, driven by t he buildup t o World War II, included mot orcycles for
milit ary use, and BSA supplied 126,000 BSA M20 mot orcycles t o t he Brit ish armed forces,
st art ing in 1937 and cont inuing unt il 1950. Royal Enfield also produced mot orcycles for t he
milit ary, including a 125 cc light weight mot orcycle t hat could be dropped (in a parachut e-fit t ed
t ube cage) from an aircraft .
After World War II
Aft er t he World War II, some American vet erans found a replacement for t he camaraderie,
excit ement , danger and speed of life at war in mot orcycles. Grouped int o loosely organized
clubs, mot orcycle riders in t he US creat ed a new social inst it ut ion—t he mot orcyclist s or
"bikers"—which was lat er skewed by t he "out law" persona Marlon Brando port rayed in t he 1953
film The Wild One.[35]
In Europe, on t he ot her hand, post -war mot orcycle producers were more concerned wit h
designing pract ical, economical t ransport at ion t han t he social aspect s, or "biker" image.[35] It alian
designer Piaggio int roduced t he Vespa in 1946, which experienced immediat e and widespread
popularit y. Import s from t he UK, It aly and Germany, t hus found a niche in US market s t hat
American bikes did not fill.
The BSA Group purchased Triumph Mot orcycles in 1951 t o become t he largest producer of
mot orcycles in t he world claiming "one in four". The German NSU was t he largest manufact urer
from 1955 unt il 1959 when Honda became t he largest manufact urer.[36][37]
The mot orcycle also became a recreat ional machine for sport and leisure, a vehicle for carefree
yout h, not essent ial t ransport at ion for t he mat ure family man or woman, and t he Japanese were
able t o produce modern designs more quickly, more cheaply, and of bet t er qualit y t han t heir
compet it ors. Their mot orbikes were more st ylish and more reliable, so t he Brit ish manufact urers
fell behind as mass-market producers.
Honda, which was officially founded in Japan on Sept ember 24, 1948, int roduced t heir SOHC
inline-four engine CB750 in 1969, which was inexpensive and immediat ely successful. It
est ablished t he across-t he-frame-four engine configurat ion as a design wit h huge pot ent ial for
power and performance. Short ly aft er t he int roduct ion of t he SOHC, Kawasaki demonst rat ed t he
pot ent ial of t he four-st roke four-cylinder engine wit h t he int roduct ion of t he KZ900.
Suzuki, Kawasaki and t he Yamaha each st art ed producing mot orcycles in t he 1950s. Meanwhile,
t he sun was set t ing on Brit ish dominion over t he big-displacement mot orbike market .
Japanese dominance
From t he 1960s t hrough t he 1990s, small t wo-st roke mot orcycles were popular worldwide,
part ly as a result of t he pioneering work of t he East German Daniel Zimmermann (rot ary disc
valve) and MZ's Walt er Kaaden who developed t he t wo-st roke expansion chamber in t he 1950s.
These ideas were t aken up by Suzuki when Ernst Degner, t he MZ engineer and rider, defect ed t o
t he West on 13 Sept ember 1961 aft er ret iring from t he 125cc Swedish Grand Prix at
Krist ianst ad. Degner, an excellent engineer, immediat ely joined Suzuki and his knowledge became
t heir t echnology springboard.
A fact ory full fairing was int roduced by BMW mot orcycle in t he R100RS of 1977, t he first
fact ory fairing produced in quant it y.[38] In 1980, BMW st imulat ed t he "advent ure t ouring"
cat egory of mot orcycling wit h it s dual-sport model, t he R80G/S. In 1988, BMW was t he first
mot orcycle manufact urer t o int roduce ant i-lock-brakes (ABS) on it s sport ing K100RS-SE and K1
models.
The present
Recent years have seen a resurgence in t he popularit y around t he world of many ot her
mot orcycle brands, including BMW, Triumph and Ducat i, and t he emergence of Indian as a second
successful mass-builder of big-t win American cruisers.
In November 2006, t he Dut ch company E.V.A. Product s BV Holland announced t hat t he first
commercially available diesel-powered mot orcycle, it s Track T-800CDI, achieved product ion
st at us.[39]
The Track T-800CDI uses an 800 cc t hree-cylinder Daimler Chrysler diesel engine. However,
ot her manufact urers, including Royal Enfield, had been producing diesel-powered bikes since at
least 1965.[40]
There is a large demand for small, cheap mot orcycles in t he developing world, and many of t he
firms meet ing t hat demand now also compet e in mat ure market s, such as China's Hongdou which
makes a version of Honda's venerable CG125.[41]
Mot orcycle t axis are commonplace in t he developing world. Scoot ers, mopeds and mot orcycles
offer a fast , cheap and risky way around snarled t raffic and scarce mass t ransit , as t hey can
easily squeeze t hrough jams.[42]
The first et hanol flex fuel mot orcycle in t he world was launched t o t he Brazilian market by Honda
in March 2009, t he CG 150 Tit an Mix (ht t ps://www.aut oevolut ion.com/news/honda-cg150-t it an-
[43][44]
mix-first -fuel-flex-mot orcycle-available-in-brazil-4914.ht ml) During t he first eight mont hs
aft er it s market launch t he CG 150 Tit an Mix had capt ured a 10.6% market share, and ranking
second in sales of new mot orcycles in t he Brazilian market in 2009.[45] In Sept ember 2009, Honda
launched a second flexible-fuel mot orcycle,[46] and by December 2010 bot h Honda flexible-fuel
mot orcycles had reached cumulat ive product ion of 515,726 unit s, represent ing an 18.1% market
share of t he Brazilian new mot orcycle sales in t hat year.[47][48] As of January 2011 t here were
four flex-fuel mot orcycle models available in t he market ,[49] and product ion reached t he one
million milest one in June 2011.[47][48][50]
See also
References
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